Overnight (2003)

Directed by: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith

Starring: Troy Duffy, Cast & Crew of The Boondock Saints

Continuing my three part series taking a look at the making of three turbulent films, Overnight is the story of Troy Duffy and how overnight success leads to his alienation of his friends and family including the rise and fall of his own directorial career and band.

Troy Duffy was a Hollywood dream. A bartender at a small Los Angeles Irish bar, Duffy managed to sell a first time script for The Boondock Saints to Miramax and signed on to be the Director. Instantly he was the focus of attention as the press heavily promoted the event. Duffy even negotiated to have his band perform in the film and to have an accompanying soundtrack. Things were looking up for everyone. The band’s co-managers were tasked with shooting the behind the scenes documentary that was suppose to record rise to stardom for everyone involved. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way they were planned.

Frustrated with the slow progress of preproduction and having his film go into what is known as “turn around,” Troy Duffy becomes frustrated with the Hollywood progress and falls victim to his own ego. He begins side stepping his producers and shops his script to other studios. Something that Miramax, and Harvey Weinstein specifically, do not look kindly upon. Soon everything goes to hell as Duffy finds himself in a downward spiral. His budget gets slashed, clashes with his band mates erupt as the band falls apart, and going against Harvey Weinstein eventually leads to being blacklisted.

After watching Overnight, it becomes evident that it is a miracle that not only did The Boondock Saints get made, but that it is as good as it is (I know this is a sentiment not shared by everyone). Some may feel that Troy Duffy is right for feeling the way he does and is merely a victim of a corrupt industry, but I can’t help and wonder if the outcome wouldn’t have been better had only Duffy been a little more humble and less egotistical. The ending is painful when it revealed what happened to everyone in the band who were once close enough to be like brothers. In the end, The Boondock Saints got a very limited theatrical release and only sold well on DVD via word of mouth as it grew in cult status. Troy Duffy never negotiated for a share in DVD sales. Just desserts or a sad ending to a promising career? Rumor has it that Troy Duffy is currently working on a sequel.

Note: Netflix members can watch the film via streaming from their site.